Suspension-coupling for arc-lamps.



B.BRUDERS. SUSPENSION COUPLING FOR ARC LAMPS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2, 1913.

Patented Sept. 16, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0., WASHINGTON. D. c.

B. BRUDERS.

SUSPENSION GOUPLING FOB. ARC LAMPS.

Patented Sept. 16, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2, 1913.

BERNHARD BRUDERS, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YO RK.

SUSPENSION-COUPLING FOR ARC-LAMPS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented; Sept. 16, 1913.

Application filed .Tune 2, 1913. Serial No. 771,249.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, BERNI-IARD Bnonnus, a citizen of Germany, residing at Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Suspension-Couplers for Arc-Lamps; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention pertains to new and useful improvements in adjustable supporting couplers for are lamps, and as its primary object contemplates the provision of a device of this character composed of a fixed element and a movable element, the two elements being equipped with such co-acting parts as are necessary to permit the lowering of the arc lamp for the purpose of adjusting the electrodes.

A further object is to provide means for automatically completing a circuit when the arc lamp is raised into supported position.

A still further object is to provide means for automatically throwing in a shunt circuit when the movable section of the coupling is lowered, thus maintaining the circuits through the rest of the arc lamps in the series.

A yet further object resides in the provision of a device of the character set forth which may be operated by merely pulling on a draw cable.

An object of equal importance with the foregoing is to construct the coupler of this invention with such regard to proportion,

- number and arrangement of parts, that it may be cheaply manufactured, may be durable and efficient in its action, and may be readily applied to any are lamp of standard tyne.

The above and additional objects are accomplished by such means as are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, described in the following specification and then more particularly pointed out in the claims which are appended hereto and form a part of this application.

With reference to the drawings, wherein I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention as it is reduced to practice, and throughout the several views of which similar reference numerals designate corre sponding parts:

Figure 1 is a vertical section taken through the center of the coupler; Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view; Fig. 3 is a detail view of the base portion of the movable contact; Fig. 4 is a detail view and side elevation of one of the contact rings; Fig. 5 is a top View of one of the contact rings; Fig. 6 is a section on the line 66 of Fig. 5, illustrating in detail the spring contact points formed on the contact ring; Fig. 7 is a detail view illustrating the slid able rod employed in supporting the stationary contact and operating the supporting means employed in holding the movable contact section in assembled position; Fig. 8 is a vertical section illustrating in detail the circuit closer which automatically makes the circuit when the movable contact section is lowcred; Fig. 9 is a detail view of the plug employed in connecting the draw cable to the movable contact section; Fig. 10 is a detail view illustrating the manner in which contact section.

Proceeding now to the description of the drawings, this lnvention includes four main elements, a dome, a movable contact, a fixed contact, and mechanism for supporting the movable contact in assembled relation to the fixed contact and releasing it from engagement therewith.

Taking up these elements in the order named, the dome of the coupler, designated as an entirety in Fig. 1 by the numeral 1, is preferably formed of sheet iron or any other similar and suitable material, and is sub' stantially cylindrical throughout the major portion of its length, as indicated at 2. The upper terminal of the dome, however, is substantially funnel-shaped and is formed at the apex portion of the funnel with an upwardly extending neck 3, through which the operating cable, to be hereinafter more fully described, plays during the raising and lowering of the movablecontact member. The cylindrical portion 2 of the dome is formed with an aperture, wherein is arranged an insulating sleeve 4, through which the line wires are passed and con nected to the contacts, as will be described and explained in detail hereinafter. A metallic cap or shield 5 may be bolted or otherwise secured to the cylindrical portion 2 and arranged to protect the wires which en ter the member 4, as will be readily observed by reference to Fig. 1.

Coming now to the description of the fixed the draw cable is attached to the movable or stationary contact, which is a ranged interiorly of the cylindrical portion 2 of the dome, it may be well to define the intended meaning of the adjectives fixed or stationary as used throughout this specification. In this specification the terms fixed and stationary as applied to the contact are relative terms, the intended meaning being that the contact is fixed or stationary as regards its relation to the interior of the dome, for, as will be lereinafter disclosed, this fixed contact to be next described is designed to be disposed at all times within the dome, and is also designed to move vertically therein.

The fixed contact includes a body member or base plate 6 which is centrally apertured and is threaded on a supporting tube 7. The member 6 is formed in the nature of a circular plate, and is preferably constructed of any light metallic substance. On the lower face of the plate 6 is bolted or otherwise secured an annular insulating ring 8 formed of porcelain or other suitable insulating material. Adjacent the edges of the member 8 are arranged the metallic contact rings 9 and 10, which are secured to the member 8 by bolts 11 passed through the apertured er "s 12 formed integrally with the rings 9 and 10, and extending laterally therefrom. A number of sprmg contact tongues, one of which is illustrated in detail in Fig. 6 and is designated by the numeral 9,v are stamped in the members 9 and 10 and project upwardly and inwardly into the annular chamber formed between the adjacent faces of the two rings. These spring contacts 13 are provided for the obvious purpose of insuring a positive contact between the rings 9 and 10 of the fixed contact member with the contact rings of the lower movable contact member. This lower movable contact member is, as above stated, designed to be raised and lowered interiorly and exteriorly of the dome, and includes in its structure a pair of annular contact rings 13 and 14, which are similar to the members 9 and 10 and are secured by bolts 15 to the annular inwardly extending flange 16 of a base shell 17, which forms the body portion of the lower movable contact element It will be observed by reference to the drawings that the bolts 11 and 15 are seated in insulating sleeves, for the obvious purpose of preventing short circuits through the various elements of the contact member: The contact rings 13 and 14 of the movable contact ection are substantially similar to the members 9 and 10, with the exception that they are not provided with the stamped contact tongue, as above described, and are arranged closer to each other to permit them to be received in the annular chamber, formed between the members, 9 and 10. The base shell 17 of the lower movable section is formed with a central opening in its bottom wall 18, as at 19, and is equipped with an integrally formed downwardly extending substantially funnel shaped neck 20, the lower reduced terminal of which carries a pair of laterally extending spurs. 21 and 22, which are recessed, as at and 24. to receive the terminals of the attaching clamp employed in connecting the arc lamp to this movable section. The supporting tube 7 extends downwardly through the shell. 17 and into the neck 20, being threaded adjacent its lower terminal, as at 25, to receive a circular plate 26 which is held against upward movement by a jam nut 27, as will be readily observed by reference to Fig. 1.

From the foregoing it will be noted that when the lower movable section is drawn up into the dome, with the members 13 and 1st in engagement with the members 9 and 10 of the fixed contact, thatthe lamp circuit, of which the contact rings 9 and 10 are the positive and negative binding posts, will be closed. A further description of the closing of this circuit will be hereinafter more fully explained in the section of this specification devoted to the decription of the operation of the coupler.

Proceeding now to the description of the means by which the lower contact element is supported when drawn up into the dome, and the means by which it is disengaged from its support when lowered, the supporting elements are preferably four in number, and are formed in the nature of pivoted latch pawls, a pair of which are illustrated in detail in Fig. 1 and are designated by the numerals 28 and 29. These pawl members are pivoted, as at 30 and 31, within cups 32 and 33, bolted or otherwise secured, as at 3 k and 35, to the lower portion of the cylindrical casing 2. Grifices 36 are formed in the member 32 to permit the pawls 29 to extend into the dome. Each of the latch pawls is beveled at its inner terminal, as at 37, and is further equipped with an integrally formed downwardly extending stop lug 38, which is arranged to abut the inner face of the cylindrical wall 2 when the pawls are in horizontal position, thus limiting the downward movement of the pawls and in suring a firm support for a circular supporting plate 10. This member 40 is loosely mounted on the neck 20 of the lower movable contact section, and is adapted for sliding movement in a vertical plane through the space formed between the bottom wall 18 of the shell 17 and a jam nut 41, which is threaded on the neck in spaced relation to the member 18.

Interpolating now the description of the draw cable by which the operator raises and lowers the movable contact sections to which the arc lamp is attached, this cable, as premanner in which the terminal of the cable is secured in the bore 42 will be readily observed by reference to Fig. 10.

Reverting now to the description of the means employed in operating the members 28 and 29, when it is desired to lower the movable contact element, it will be observed, by reference to Fig. 1, that this invention employs, in connection with each latch pawl,

a vertical rod 43. The lower terminal of each rod 43 is pivoted as at 44 to the latch pawl adjacent its beveled terminal, and is arranged with its upper terminal projecting a short distance above the upper face of a spider 45, which is threaded on the upper terminal of the tube 7 and is held in place thereon by a jam nut 46. The spider 45 is of the usual construction and is formed with four quadrantly spaced arms, each arm being apertured at its outer terminal to receive the upper terminal of a rod 43. Each rod 43 is held against withdrawal from the aperture of the terminal of the spider arm by a cotter pin, as at 47. Then the movable contact element is in assembled relation to the fixed contact and is supported by the engagement of the plate 40 with the upper edges of the members 28 and 29, the spider 45 rests on a circular plate 48, which is formed with a downwardly extending annular flange 49. In assembling the various elements of the structure, the plate 48 is arranged adjacent the upper end of the cylindrical casing 2 at a point slightly below the member 1 and is secured in fixed position by bolts, screws, or other similar fastening devices, as at 50. It is to be observed in this connection that the plate 48 is spaced from the member 1 a sufficient distance to permit the rods 43 to move upwardly the necessary distance when the lower section is manipulated, arevious to being lowered from the dome. The plate 48 is centrally apertured to permit the raising and lowering of the tube7 when a pull is exerted upon the draw cable, as will be next described.

Explanatory to the operation of the various parts of this invention during the raising and lowering of the lower movable contact section: Presuming the lower contact section to be in supported position interiorly of the dome, with the contact rings 13 and 14 in engagement with the members 9 and 10, as previously described, and the supporting plate 40 mounted on the upper edges of the latch pawls 28 and 29, it will be apparent that if a pull is exerted upon the a draw cable the neck 20, and, conse quently, the shell 17 will be pulled upwardly and that, as the shell 17 moves upwardly, the motion will be transmitted to the vertical rods 43 by the spider 45, which, as previously stated, is fixed on the upper terminal of the stem 7 and is held against upward movement by the jam nut 46. It will be apparent that as the rods 47 are drawn upwardly, the members 28 and 29 are swung upwardly on their pivots 30 and 31, and the simultaneous upward movement of the plate 40 and latch pawls 28 and 29 will swing the beveled terminals of the latchpawls in toward the cylindrical wall 2. The various elements of the device are so proportioned that when the upper terminals of the rods 43 abut the member 1, the extreme terminals of the members 28 and 29 are disengaged from the plate 40, which may then drop from engagement with the bottom wall 18 of the shell 17 down on to the jam nut 41. WVhen this plate 40 rests on the am nut 41, the cable may be released, and, since there is no supporting surface for the plate 40, the lower section will drop from the dome, withdrawing the contact rings 13 and 14 from engagement with the fixed contact rings 9 and 10, thus throwing the arc lamp, which is connected to the contact rings 13 and 14 by wires 51 and 52.

When the lamp is to be returned to normal suspended position, the cable is pulled to draw the shell 17 upwardly and, as the shell approaches the interior of the dome, the plate 40 engages the beveled terminals 37 of the members 28 and 29, swinging them upwardly and, consequently, pushing the rods 43 upwardly until their upper terminals abut the member 1. The cable is then let out gradually and, as the members 28 and 29 resume a horizontal position, the plate 40 engages the upper edges of the latch pawl, being thus held against further downward movement. As the operator continues to let out the draw cable, the bottom wall 18 of the shell 17 is lowered until it finally rests on the plate 40. In this position the contacts 13 and 14 are disposed in the cham ber formed between the members 9 and 10 and are in engagement with contact rings 9 and 10. It will thus be observed that when the movable contact section is drawn up and disposed interiorly of the dome, the lamp is again thrown in the circuit by the wires 51. and 52.

The actual construction and operation of the various parts of this invention being thus described, it now remains to describe briefly the manner in which the various contacts are connected in the lamp circuit, and to describe the device employed in closing the circuit through the contact rings 9 and 10 when the lower section is withdrawn in order to prevent the breaking of the circuit through the remaining lamps in the circuit with the lamp which is being adjusted.

The line wires of the lamp circuit are as previously stated passed through the insulating sleeve 4 into the dome, and are connected to the contact rings 9 and 10. As above set forth, the lamp which is attached by any suitable form of clamp to the members 21 and 22 is designed to receive the current from the contact rings 9 and 10, through the medium o1 the contact rings 13 and 1e and wires 51 and 52 connected thereto.

It is customary in most instances to arrange are lamps in series of ten or twelve, the lamps in most instances being wired in parallel. lit will, therefore, be apparent that when the circuit is broken by the lowering of the movable contact element, it is necessary, in order to prevent the cutting out of the circuit through the remaining lamps in the series, to provide an automatic device for closing the circuit through the contact rings 9 and 10 when the lower movable section is dropped into disengaged relation to the upper fixed or stationary contact section. In this connection, this invention employs the circuit maker illustrated in detail in Fig. 8. This circuit maker includes a substantially iii-shaped contact member 53, which is mounted on a spring pressed stem 54 and insulated therefrom by an insulating sleeve The member 53 1s disposed at the upper terminal of the stem 54 and is held in the desired position by the stem head 56 and the jam nut 56. The

stem 54 is mounted for sliding movement out of engagement with the said fixed conthrough a bore formed in the plate 6 and insulating ring 8, and is of such length that when the contact rings 13 and 1a are in engagement with the members 9 and 10 the terminals of the member 53 will be spaced from a pair of contacts 57 and These contacts 57 and 58 may be formed of any suitable material, but in practice it has been found desirable to employ copper bolts. As illustrated in Fig. 8, these bolts are insulated from the member 6 by insulating sleeves 59, but are in contact with the lugs 12 of the members 9 and 10. A helical spring 60 is wound around the stem 54L and is arranged to bear at its upper terminal against the porcelain insulating ring 8, and at its lower terminal against a collar 61, which is mounted on the stem By reference to Fig. 8, it will be apparent that when the lower movable contact section is lowered, the spring 60 will act to draw the member 53 down into engagement with the members 57 and 58, thus closing the circuit between the contact rings 9 and 10 and it will, therefore, be noted that this invention has provided an automatically operated de vice for closing the lamp circuit when the arc lamp which is being adjusted is lowered.

In reduction to practice, I have found that the form of my invention, illustrated in the drawings and referred to in the above description, as the preferred embodiment, is the most eflicient and practical; yet, realizing that the conditions concurrent with the adoption of my device will necessarily vary, I desire to emphasize the fact that various minor changes in details 01 construction, proportion and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, when required, without sacrificing any of the advantages of my invention, as defined in the appended claims.

hat is claimed is:

1. A suspension coupling device for are lamps including a dome, a fixed contact member arranged therein, a movable contact member adapted to be raised and low ered into and out of the dome, said contact members being adapted to close the circuits through the lamp when in assembled relation, and an automatically operated circuit making device mounted on the said fixed section and adapted to close the circuit sinniltaneously with the lowering or the said movable contact member, means for raising and lowering said movable contact member, and means for supporting said movable contact member in assembled position including a circular plate loosely mounted upon sai movable contact member and latch pawls pivotally mounted within said dome.

2. A suspension coupling device for are lamps including a dome, a fixed contact member arranged in said dome, a movable contact member, means for raising and lowering said movable contact member into and tact member, supporting members for said movable contact member, and means for re "leasing said movable contact member from engagement with said supporting member simultaneously with the upward movement of the said fixed contact member including a vertical tube having threaded engagement with said fixed contact member, a spider connected with the upper terminal of said tube and a pair of spaced rods connected with said spider,

3. A suspension coupling for are lamps including a dome, a fixed contact member, a movable contact member, a supporting plate loosely mounted on said movable contactmember, pivoted latch pawls attached to the said dome and arranged to receive the said supporting plate when the said movable c'ontact member is in engagement with the said fixed contact member, a cable secured to said movable contact member, rods pivotally attached to said latch pawls at one terminal and a spider attached to the other terminal of said rods, a tube operatively connecting the said spider and said fixed contact member, said rods being adapted to withdraw said latch pawls from supporting relation to the said supporting plate upon the upward movement of said spider,

4:. In a suspension coupling device for are lamps, a fixed contact member, a movable contact member, a neck formed centrally upon the under side of said movable contact member, said contact members adapted to be supported in engagement with each other and means for supporting said members in engagement with each other comprising an annular plate loosely mounted upon said neck and pivoted latch pawls.

5. In a suspension coupling device for are lamps, a fixed contact member and a movable contact member, a dome incasing said contact members, a centrally apertured. plate mounted within the upper part of said dome, a tube mounted vertically and loosely within said apertured plate, said tube having. threaded engagement with and supporting said fixed contact member, said tube extending into said movable contact member, a spider mounted upon the upper terminal of said tube and engaging said plate and means for supporting said movable contact member operatively connected with said spider.

6. In a suspension coupling device for are lamps, the combination with a dome of a movable contact member mounted within said dome, a fixed contact member mounted within said dome, a centrally apertured plate mounted within the upper portion of said dome, a tube loosely mounted within said plate, said tube having threaded engagement with and supporting said fixed contact member, a spider connected with the upper terminal of said tube and engaging said plate,

a circular plate mounted upon the lower terminal of said tube and engaging said movable contact member, a pair of latch pawls pivotally mounted within said dome adjacent the lower terminal thereof, asup porting plate loosely mounted upon said contact member and adapted for engagement with said latch pawls and a pair of rods connecting said latch pawls with said spider.

7. In a suspension coupling device for are lamps, a fixed contact member, a movable contact member, said movable contact member comprising an annular shell, an inwardly extending flange formed on the upper terminal of said shell, a neck formed integral with the lower portion of said shell, means carried by said neck for supporting said are lamp, apair of latch pawls, a supporting plate loosely mounted upon said neck and adapted for engagement with said latch pawls and means removably mounted upon said neck for holding said supporting plate against removal therefrom.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BERNHARD BRUDERS. Witnesses:

WILLIAM WOLZ, JOSEPH EBERTZ.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

